


2021, will you think about us

by yugto



Series: here comes science! [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Museums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yugto/pseuds/yugto
Summary: “Y’know, Kei, if your hands are cold, you can always hold mine.” He slides his phone back into his pocket and holds his hands out, grinning.Kei blinks at him a couple of times. His gaze seems to pierce through to Tetsurou’s core, almost like he has x-ray vision.If he does have x-ray vision,Tetsurou muses,and he can see what’s in my pocket, I’ll either die or just panic and propose to him on the spot.Really, he’s not sure which would win out.But the moment passes, and Tetsurou neither dies nor proposes. Instead, Kei’s piercing gaze fades into a look of mild exasperation. “You just want an excuse to hold my hand.”“Guilty,” Tetsurou grins, without a trace of guilt.For scientists like them, asking questions comes with the territory. This one, though, is more important than most.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Series: here comes science! [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967587
Comments: 12
Kudos: 71





	2021, will you think about us

**Author's Note:**

> > _2021, will you think about me_   
>  _I could wait a year, but I shouldn’t wait three (Boy)_   
>  _I don’t wanna be (Boy)_   
>  _2021, will you think about us_
> 
> – “[2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmnjkZEkiA)”, Vampire Weekend
> 
> i feel like a lot of people i know got engaged in 2020, so maybe i just have (rihanna voice) love on the brain? i want to find a love like krtsk in 2021. i am ✨manifesting✨.
> 
> also, while i was writing this, the fanfun market dropped [the haikyuu ring collection](https://fanfunmarket.jp/haikyu) and i lost my fucking mind. it’s like they dropped it specifically to tell me to finish this fic. (if anyone is organizing a group order for the us, pls let me hop on that. i am fully prepared to buy the nekoma and karasuno rings.)

_Dainohara Forest Park / 3M Sendai City Science Museum  
December 19, 2021_

“Hold on, let me take a picture here,” says Tetsurou. They’re taking a lazy loop around the park behind the museum, trying to walk off their lunch before they head inside. Today, their full stomachs are a testament to the development of Akiteru’s cooking skills; even Kei, who’s normally a minimal eater, went back for seconds. 

They pause while Tetsurou fishes his phone out of his pocket, gloved hands quickly lining up a shot of the square stepping stones that cross the pond. He snaps one shot, then two, then turns to the side. Kei’s shivering in the crisp December air, his nose and mouth buried in his green scarf, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his light brown coat. It’s such a cute sight, Tetsurou snaps a picture of him as well against the backdrop of Dainohara’s trees.

“Y’know, Kei, if your hands are cold, you can always hold mine.” He slides his phone back into his pocket and holds his hands out, grinning.

Kei blinks at him a couple of times. His gaze seems to pierce through to Tetsurou’s core, almost like he has x-ray vision. _If he_ does _have x-ray vision,_ Tetsurou muses, _and he can see what’s in my pocket, I’ll either die or just panic and propose to him on the spot._ Really, he’s not sure which would win out. 

But the moment passes, and Tetsurou neither dies nor proposes. Instead, Kei’s piercing gaze fades into a look of mild exasperation. “You just want an excuse to hold my hand.”

“Guilty,” Tetsurou grins, without a trace of guilt. 

Kei rolls his eyes. “Come on, let’s get out of the cold.” They turn left down the well-trodden path to the museum; Kei walks slightly ahead of Tetsurou, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

Tetsurou’s phone buzzes with a text from Kenma, reading simply _good luck_.

_kenma what if this is a mistake holy shit_ , he texts back, lightning-fast, because _maybe_ he’s been thinking about this since they stepped onto the shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai yesterday. _what am i gonna do if he says no??_

Kenma roasts Tetsurou pretty much every chance he gets, but to his credit, he’s spent the past six years patiently talking Tetsurou through his various Kei-related freakouts. His expertise shows now as he hits Tetsurou with the facts, cool and calm as always: _/if/ he says no then you might be sad for a while, but there’s nothing wrong with continuing the way you are now. really, though, you guys have been dating for the last five years. both of you keep joking about things like “ten years from now”, which is disgustingly sweet. i think he is okay with the idea of being stuck with you forever. you’ll be fine._

Just like he has pretty much every time for the past six years, Tetsurou texts back a handful of crying cat stickers and _ur a better friend than i deserve kenma ily!!!!!_

_i know_ , replies Kenma. Tetsurou can clearly picture him rolling his eyes, and he has to work to suppress a smile. _anyway good luck._

“Hey,” says Kei, breaking Tetsurou out of his reverie. “Are you coming in anytime soon?” Tetsurou looks up from his phone to find that they’ve arrived at the front entrance of the museum, and grinning sheepishly, pockets his phone. 

As they wander through the exhibits on the bottom floor, Tetsurou feels fine – or at least, he feels less like his heart is trying to beat its way out of his chest. But with each step closer to the dinosaur exhibit, he can feel his heart rate ratcheting up exponentially. Kei gives him a thoughtful look every once in a while, but for once he’s nice enough not to poke at Tetsurou or ask any questions. Instead, he just stands in front of each exhibit, lost in contemplation, hands still in his pockets, head tilted slightly to the side.

When they finally make their way up to the natural history exhibition, where the dinosaurs are located, they run into Yamaguchi and Yachi. Tetsurou’s so surprised, he forgets about his building panic for a minute.

“Hey, would you look at that, Kei, it’s a camp counselor reunion!” he beams. “Or, well, seventy-five percent of one, anyway. Sorry, Yacchan.” Yachi giggles sheepishly, as Tetsurou continues. “What are you lovebirds doing here?”

“I, uh, wanted to show Hitoka the make-your-own-perfume exhibit,” says Yamaguchi. He’s almost vibrating with barely contained excitement. Tetsurou doesn’t remember that exhibit being _that_ interesting, but to each their own, right? “You nerds are probably headed over to the dinosaurs, huh? We just came from there.”

“We’ll see you later,” Yachi smiles. Her camera is slung around her neck; this doesn’t seem particularly conducive to perfume-making either, but Tetsurou lets it slide. He knows from experience that Yachi’s just the kind of person who takes a lot of photos, no matter what the occasion. “Let’s get lunch sometime while we’re all in town, though!”

“Kinda weird that your friends didn’t want to hang out with us,” Tetsurou comments, as Yamaguchi and Yachi disappear into the science and engineering exhibit.

“You know they’re _your_ friends too, at this point.” Kei elbows him gently in the ribs. “Anyway, you know I see Tadashi every week.” This much is true; since Yamaguchi moved to Tokyo last year, he and Kei have made a point of getting dinner together on Wednesdays, the night their schedules most reliably overlap.

_Shit, should I have asked Yamaguchi for advice before I did this?_ Tetsurou wonders, distractedly. In the background, he faintly registers Kei, talking just a little faster than usual: “He and Hitoka have been so busy with work and wedding planning lately. I’m not surprised they want some time alone outside of all that.”

“Hm,” says Tetsurou, because that’s a safer bet than _I didn’t register a thing you just said_. He shakes his head slightly, like the action will get his mind back on track. “Well, c’mon, you heard Yamaguchi. Let’s go look at some dinosaurs, nerd.”

“He called _both_ of us nerds,” Kei grouses, but he follows Tetsurou deeper into the exhibit anyway.

In front of the Stegosaurus, Tetsurou comes to a stop, sliding his hand back into his pocket to check that the box is still there. His fingers close around it. Quietly, he takes a steadying breath, and turns to Kei.

Almost five and a half years ago now, when Kei was nineteen and Tetsurou was twenty-one, Tetsurou took him to this very exhibit, planning to confess to him before the summer ended and they disappeared from each other’s lives forever. Across the walkway from where he and Kei are standing, there’s the bench where they sat as Kei fiddled with his hands, awkwardly stared at this Stegosaurus, and very calmly knocked the ground out from under Tetsurou’s feet, confessing before Tetsurou even got the chance to open his mouth.

At the memory, Tetsurou has to smile. It took both of them ages to work up to that confession, but _wow_ , was it ever worth the wait.

“Hey,” he says now, bumping Kei lightly with his shoulder. Kei’s fidgeting with something in his pocket as he looks at the exhibit placard. (Tetsurou doesn’t feel bad for pulling him away; Kei knows every fact listed here, and then some.) “Can I tell you something?”

“What is it?”

“When we first started working together,” Tetsurou starts, “I told you that there’s a moment in your life where something inside of you sits up and says, _I could spend the rest of my life learning more about this._ Do you remember?”

“Mm, maybe a little bit. You only remind me about it about once a month or so.” Kei’s words are sarcastic, but his tone is fond. “Even if you _did_ plagiarize that ’one moment’ speech off Bokuto. What’s this about?”

“Hey, it _worked_ , didn’t it? You had your moment.” Tetsurou shrugs, unrepentant. “Anyway.”

He takes a deep breath.

“I don’t think I can narrow what I’m feeling right now down to one specific moment. Over the last five years, there have been a lot of moments that have built up to this one. But I think—” He swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. Kei opens his mouth as if to say something; Tetsurou plunges forward before he loses his nerve. 

“I think I’ve figured it out. I want to spend the rest of my life learning more about you, if you’d let me.”

Carefully, he takes the box from his pocket, pops it open, and drops to one knee, holding it out. The ring inside is silver, with a small black stone and a small orange stone set side by side. ( _I think you should get this one,_ Kenma had said when he, Koutarou, and Keiji had taken Tetsurou ring shopping, and refused to elaborate.)

“So, Tsukishima Kei,” he starts, and then promptly forgets anything else he might have wanted to say. Heart pounding, tears welling up in his eyes, he decides to go straight to the point. He gives Kei a watery smile. “Will you marry me?”

Kei stares at him for a moment, just a little bit teary-eyed, and then somehow, he bursts out _laughing_. His real, genuine laugh, without a trace of mockery or sarcasm, is still such a rare sound after all these years, but for once in his life, Tetsurou has no idea what he’s laughing about. He blinks up at Kei as his laughter resounds throughout the exhibit.

“Yes, Tetsu, of course yes,” Kei gasps when he catches his breath, swiping at his eyes with the back of one hand, “it’s just.” Here, he _finally_ withdraws his other hand from his coat pocket. Flicking it open, he shows a silver ring with a small black stone and a small red stone set side by side. It’s almost an exact match to the one Tetsurou’s holding. “I was going to ask _you_ while we were here, and you just beat me to it.”

Now, it’s Tetsurou’s turn to stare, slack-jawed, as Kei kneels in front of him so they’re on the same level. (Well, _almost_ on the same level. Kei’s still got a few extra centimeters on him after all these years.) Pressing his forehead to Tetsurou’s, Kei murmurs, “I had this whole damn speech planned, and of course you upended everything, but I still want to ask. Kuroo Tetsurou,” and his eyes are misty, but he’s fucking _smirking_ , “will _you_ marry _me_?”

“I mean, I asked you first, so I’d assume the answer is yes,” Tetsurou points out, voice just a little bit shaky, before Kei rolls his eyes, grabs his face in both hands, and kisses him to shut him up. The edge of the ring box is digging uncomfortably into his jaw, but Tetsurou can feel Kei smiling against his lips, which automatically makes it one of the best kisses he’s ever had. 

Eventually, it dawns on him that 1) they’re still in the middle of the museum, and 2) he’s not as young as he used to be, and his knees are starting to protest at how long he’s been on the floor. Reluctantly, he draws back and takes Kei’s hands in his, pulling him to his feet. 

Seconds after they’ve gotten back into an upright position, Yamaguchi appears out of nowhere, launching himself forward to hug the two of them. “You _guys_ , I’m so proud of you,” he blubbers, throwing his arms around both of them. 

“Tadashi, you’re gonna get snot all over my scarf,” Kei complains, but he’s smiling as he accepts the hug. Yachi has her camera up in front of her face to capture the moment, but Tetsurou spots the tears tracking their way down her cheeks as well.

In his emotional state, it takes Tetsurou a minute to put the pieces together, but once he does: “You _sly dog_ ,” he gasps, whacking Kei lightly on the shoulder. “You planted Yacchan here to do an engagement photoshoot, didn’t you?”

Cupping his hand around his mouth, Yamaguchi stage-whispers to Tetsurou, “Don’t let him fool you, he totally needed the moral support.”

“Shut up, Tadashi,” says Kei with a slight pout.

“You’re welcome, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi singsongs. “Oh! Speaking of support!”

He pulls back from the hug, turning his phone screen to face the two of them. Kenma, Koutarou, and Keiji are on the other end of a video call, chorusing, “Congratulations!” Kenma flashes them a thumbs up; Koutarou’s clearly been weeping throughout the proposal; and Keiji says with a fond eyeroll, “You guys were really bantering during your own proposals, huh? How on brand of you.”

“We figured you might need moral support, too, Kuroo. Even if you didn’t know they were there,” Yamaguchi explains.

While Tetsurou’s tearing up all over again, Kenma grumbles, “Koutarou was yelling the whole time. I’m surprised you didn’t hear him.”

“Oh,” says Yamaguchi sheepishly. “I muted my phone for that part.” 

Amidst Koutarou’s indignant squawking and Yamaguchi’s attempts to placate him, Yachi lifts her camera up again and calls, “Okay, put the rings on!” They slide the rings onto each other’s fingers, then pose for a couple more photos at her request.

“You coordinated the rings, huh?” Tetsurou says, as Yachi arranges them for one last photo.

“Yeah!” Koutarou beams. “Keiji set up a group text so we could share info. It was almost like a secret agent mission! Aren't they beautiful?”

Tetsurou’s friends can be a pain in the ass sometimes – okay, _a lot_ of the time – but they are the best friends he could ever ask for. He really should tell them he appreciates them more often.

“Thanks, guys,” he says sincerely. Behind him, he _knows_ Kei’s making that lovable emotionally-constipated face he has, but eventually, he echoes, "Thank you."

🧬

“Hey,” says Tetsurou, as they amble into the gift shop an hour later, hand in hand, “remember how when we started dating, I took you here to confess to you, and then you had the audacity to confess first? Looks like I had the last laugh.”

“Oh my god – it’s not like this is a race, you idiot.” Kei stops in front of a display of shirts with dinosaur skeletons wearing Santa hats. Tilting his head to the side, he gazes at the display like he’s seriously considering buying one. Tetsurou can’t believe he gets to spend the rest of his life with this nerd.

“I may be an idiot, but I’m _your_ idiot,” he singsongs, swinging their joined hands upward to brandish his ring at Kei. “ _For-e-ver_.”

The smile he gets from Kei is one Tetsurou wants to remember until the end of time. “Well. I suppose it could be worse.”

🧬

**tsukishima.k  
**📍 3M Sendai City Science Museum

_[Image: Kei and Tetsurou in front of the museum’s Stegosaurus skeleton. Kei is laughing, holding a small box open to reveal a ring; Tetsurou is down on one knee, eyes open wide in surprise, also holding a small box with a ring in it. Both of them are just a little bit teary-eyed, eyes glistening under the museum lights.]_

**tsukishima.k** spending forever with this nerd doesn’t sound so bad. [📸: @hitokaaaaa]

> _View all 96 comments_
> 
> **yamaguchitadashi** I remember roasting you about your crush on Kuroo when we were just first years in college, and now look how far you’ve come 😭🤧 Congratulations!!!
>
>> **krttsr** haha babe you had a crush on me??? that’s so embarrassing @tsukishima.k
>> 
>> **tsukishima.k** lol you had a crush on me too? how cringe @krttsr
>> 
>> **yamaguchitadashi** @tsukishima.k @krttsr Stop flirting in my replies smh get a room 😤
> 
>  **hitokaaaaa** I had so much fun shooting this!! I’m so glad Tadashi and I were there for this special moment 🥺 congrats again ♡
> 
> **tanaka_ryuu** omfg now the two of u will be even MORE insufferable LMFAO but congrats lil bro!!!
> 
> **t.akiteru** So happy for both of you!! Congratulations!!!!! 💛💛💛

**krttsr  
**📍 3M Sendai City Science Museum 

_[A set of four images. In the first, they’re in front of the museum’s Stegosaurus skeleton. Kei is standing with his hands clapped over his mouth, while Tetsurou is on one knee. The second image is the same as the one Kei posted; Kei is laughing, Tetsurou is still down on one knee, and both of them are holding rings out to each other, a little teary-eyed. In the third, Kei and Tetsurou are both kneeling, foreheads pressed together, ring boxes in hand._

_The final photo has a blurry background, but the outline of the museum’s Stegosaurus is still visible behind them. Tetsurou stands behind Kei, resting his chin on Kei’s shoulder, his arms draped loosely around Kei; Kei is reaching up to rest his left hand on Tetsurou’s forearm. They’re both grinning. The pose clearly shows off their engagement rings.]_

**krttsr** picked up some cool new souvenirs from the museum today 💍 photos by @hitokaaaaa!!

> _View all 117 comments_
> 
> **kodzukenofficial** we get it you’re in love (congrats ♡)
> 
> **kuroo_satomi** The museum sells rings now? Sendai really stepping it up 🤩 for real though welcome to the family @tsukishima.k, congrats you two!
> 
> **bokutobeam** BRO!!!! BRO!!!!!!!! IK I TALKED TO U ALREADY BUT IM SO HAPPY FOR U AND TSUKKI IM LEGIT BALLING
>
>> **krttsr** @bokutobeam UR ALWAYS BALLIN BRO BALL IS LIFE
>> 
>> **kodzukenofficial** @krttsr @bokutobeam the fact that kei and keiji agreed to put up with both of you for the rest of their lives is actually incredible
>> 
>> **tsukishima.k** @kodzukenofficial tell me about it
>> 
>> **krttsr** @tsukishima.k awww babe you loooooove me :^) 
>> 
>> **tsukishima.k** @krttsr I know. I’m just as surprised as you are.
>> 
>> **yamaguchitadashi** @tsukishima.k @krttsr Get!! A!! Room!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> inspo music for this fic was obviously “2021” by vampire weekend, but also “[the next ten minutes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51-zbXm8jLA)” from the last five years. in all honesty, this song is mostly on my playlist for this au because of the “have you been inside the museum? / we should go see the dinosaurs” line, and not so much because of the plot of the musical itself. (speaking of museums and dinosaurs, the shirt tsukki is looking at in the last scene is [this one, from the field museum](https://store.fieldmuseum.org/collections/shirts/products/dancing_dino_santa_adult_tshirt)! their dinosaur exhibit is fantastic, tsukki would love it there.)
> 
> here’s hoping that 2021 will be better for all of us! stay safe y’all, have a merry and bright holiday season. i’ll see you in the new year ♡
> 
> (i’m on twitter [@tadhanastar](https://twitter.com/tadhanastar)! if you liked this you can retweet the promo tweet [here](https://twitter.com/tadhanastar/status/1340509101432819715)!)


End file.
